AUGUSTA — An officer asked to assist mental health professionals at Riverview Psychiatric Center’s outpatient clinic with an unruly client ended up shooting the man, officials say.
Officer Laura Drouin was dispatched at 3:40 p.m. to East Chestnut Street “at the request of mental health professionals who needed assistance with transporting a client to the hospital,” Deputy Chief Jarod Mills said in a statement released about two hours after the shooting. “After contact was made, an incident involving deadly force occurred.”
The individual was brought to the hospital immediately for medical treatment and at around 6 p.m. was listed in stable condition, said Mills, who described the incident as “heartbreaking.” The man’s identity will be released once his family is notified of the incident.
Drouin was not injured during the altercation, Mills said.
As is department protocol, Drouin was placed on administrative leave with pay, pending the outcome of the investigation, the deputy chief said.
“Investigators with the Attorney General’s Office have responded to a report of an officer involved use of force in Augusta,” spokesman Tim Feeley said in an email Monday.
The attorney general will determine whether the deadly force was warranted.
The shooting occurred at the Riverview Psychiatric Center’s outpatient services facility, Maine Department of Health and Human Services spokesman David Sorensen said.
“Our thoughts are with everyone involved in this heartbreaking incident,” Mills said.
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